Guillermo Pernot, Chef/Partner of Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, came into COOK last week to showcase his newest cookbook Cuba Cooks. Not only did Guillermo cook up five courses of Cuban-inspired dishes from his book, but he also signed a copy for each of our guests to go home with and enjoy! Guillermo was awarded the James Beard Award for best single subject for his last cookbook, ¡Ceviche!: Seafood, Salads and Cocktails with a Latino Twist, so we are so excited to have his latest book. Read on to see some of the dishes from Cuba Cooks come to life and learn a bit about Cuban cuisine as well.

From his expertise in Cuban cooking one would believe that Guillermo is Cuban himself; however this is not the case. Guillermo stated that he is “Cuban by osmosis.” His wife Lucia is Cuban, and her mother played a huge factor in influencing Guillermo’s cooking. Pernot explained that he fell in love with Lucia’s mother Totty first because he really enjoyed her company. The two would go thrifting together, purchasing old decanters, pots and pans, etc.

Mami Totty passed down her family’s arroz con leche recipe, which is over 100 years old, to Guillermo and he is so thankful as it is the best rice pudding he has ever had.  Our guests got a taste of Mami Totty’s rice pudding at the end of the meal and agreed with Guillermo’s claim!

In Cuba many restaurants are run by the state. Restaurants that are privately owned and run are called paladares. While cooking in a paladar once, Guillermo wanted to serve grilled octopus, a dish found almost everywhere in Cuba. To his disappointment there was no space to fire up a charcoal grill. This is what led Guillermo to invent charcoal infused oil, which he drizzled over top of his seared octopus. Making the charcoal oil is very simple, but should be done with caution. Guillermo had some charcoal burning on our grill as guests arrived so that they entered to a smokey, cozy aroma filled room. Once the charcoal turned completely white he transferred it to a pot with neutral oil and immediately covered the pot. He stressed not to uncover the pot until about 10 minutes or when the smoke subsides. After that he moved the mixture into a blender, pureed and then strained it through a fine sieve. This oil is a great way to incorporate smoke into your meal if you cannot grill, which is a common problem for many of us in the city!

The main course that Guillermo served our guests was something truly special. Beef is becoming more and more expensive and scarce in Cuba. Many have turned to goat as an alternative, and as a result there are now many goat farms in Cuba. Guillermo’s chivito dish – pulled goat, mustard greens and gingered boniato (sweet potato) puree – is meant to show how versatile and tasty goat can be. After he grilled the goat, Guillermo wrapped the cut of meat along with avocado and kaffir lime leaves, rum, papaya and chicken stock in large banana leaves. Once that cooked in the oven for a while, it came out tender as could be. Many of our guests stated that it was the best goat they had ever had!

You too can have the century old recipe for Mami Totty’s rice pudding, as well as recipes for Guillermo’s Cuban-inspired dishes by purchasing a copy of Cuba Cooks: Recipes and Secrets from Cuban Paladares and Their Chefs from our library! If you want a taste of Guillermo’s cooking without the hassle of cooking at home, go to one of his Cuba Libre locations in Philadelphia, D.C., Orlando or Atlantic City.